CHAPTER 418: THE GREAT BATTLE (5)

Dam Hyun had once spoken boastfully about riding Cheongho.

He said that the speed on the back of a grown Azure Fox was astonishing.

Unlike horses, it was unaffected by terrain, so crossing the vast Central Plains didn’t take long.

Yi-gang had never ridden an Azure Fox, so he didn’t know.

That was because Cheongho was not yet fully grown.

Then what about the hundreds of years old, fully matured Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Foxes?

By riding on their backs, Yi-gang experienced extreme speed.

Born with the blood of great yokais, each leap easily covered 9 meters.

At every step, blue sparks flashed brightly.

From the Great Desert, past the Kunlun Mountains, to the Crouching Dragon Basin.

They ran through the entire day and night.

Though Yi-gang, having reached the Absolute Realm, could run faster than horses, it was incomparable to the speed of the Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox.

He understood how the Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Foxes escaped from the Cardinals.

‘Without the newly acquired Supreme Ultimate Technique, I couldn’t face such a fast enemy.’

That was what Yi-gang thought.

The trouble at Crouching Dragon Basin was visible even from afar.

He could feel a sinister aura emanating from it.

Above all, it was visible to the eye.

A red veil-like barrier encircled the Crouching Dragon Basin.

“There it is!”

Jeok-yo, carrying Yi-gang, growled.

Though not gentle before, now it clearly radiated the violent nature of a yokai.

“Barrier… Elder Senior Uncle Do-cheon!”

Yi-gang called for Do-cheon.

He was riding behind Heuk-mu along with Wi Se-ryeong.

“It’s a barrier that even I don’t know of. It clearly seems to be strengthening.”

Do-cheon’s expression was also grim.

It was the first time he had seen a barrier of that scale.

In the Central Plains, the status of sorcerers who use magic is not very high.

That was because magic has clear limitations.

Even with barriers and formation arrays, it was rare to see them with the naked eye.

This was because it is very difficult for magic to materialize and alter reality.

However, if an exceptionally skilled sorcerer invests tremendous effort and time, they can achieve something.

Like a warrior in the Absolute Realm using a Supreme Ultimate Technique to distort reality.

This was the same.

“We must break through.”

Heuk-mu, the leader of the Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Foxes said.

“When the humans inside die, their souls are immediately offered to something.”

“…How cruel.”

The great yokai seemed to see things Yi-gang could not.

According to the Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox’s explanation, the more warriors inside perish, the more souls are offered to something.

In other words, it was forced human sacrifice.

Those inside were powerful warriors of the Central Plains.

Yi-gang had witnessed firsthand how powerful human sacrifices of cultivated warriors could be.

The Lama monks of the Western Region nearly summoned Śākyamuni Tathāgata by offering themselves.

「How utterly ominous.」

Of course, they had accumulated significant karma, but this time the number was different.

There were 150,000 people inside the Crouching Dragon Basin.

Among them were several superhumans in the Absolute Realm.

Thud thud thud thud—

The Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Foxes ran.

Yi-gang’s heart pounded strongly.

It was a dizzying feeling.

His intuition strongly warned him.

That he must not enter there.

“Faster!”

But Yi-gang did not stop. He could not stop.

There were people inside.

His father and family, the kids from the Seven Stars Conference.

Warriors from the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, Yo Yeon-bi’s father.

Dam Hyun and Cheongho… all of them.

“The barrier is thickening.”

“W-wait!”

Yo Yeon-bi screamed in surprise.

He probably couldn’t comprehend or accept the current situation.

Yi-gang looked back at Yo Yeon-bi and sent a telepathic message to Seo-mi, who carried him.

Seo-mi abruptly stopped.

Ha-jun held on, but Yo Yeon-bi couldn’t resist the momentum and tumbled to the ground.

Seo-mi, having dropped Yo Yeon-bi, started running again.

“W-why are you leaving me behind!”

“Go to Azure Forest!”

Yi-gang said that to the flustered Yo Yeon-bi.

They were entering the tiger’s mouth; Yo Yeon-bi’s chances of survival were slim.

Heuk-mu shouted sharply.

“Damn, the barrier is complete!”

“I’ll open it!”

Do-cheon stood upright on the running Heuk-mu’s back.

It was an amazing skill, but there was no time to admire it.

The barrier no longer allowed a view inside.

As Yi-gang hesitated, Do-cheon shouted.

“Don’t slow down. I’ll open a gap, so go in, Yi-gang!”

Yi-gang nodded and firmly grasped Jeokyo’s mane.

The barrier, a bright red wall, drew closer.

Yi-gang’s Meteroite Sword rose involuntarily.

Would the sword’s edge cut the barrier? He had a feeling it wouldn’t.

If so, crashing into the barrier at this speed would be madness.

But Jeok-yo had no intention of slowing down, and neither did Yi-gang.

For now, he had no choice but to trust Do-cheon.

With Do-cheon’s shout.

Nine arrows of light were shot.

Kwak kwak kwak kwang—!

It was Wi Se-ryeong’s Power Borrowing.

Nevertheless, the barrier only suffered minor damage.

Yi-gang’s intuition that the sword edge couldn’t cut it was correct.

But it was not over yet.

Yi-gang’s hair stood on end.

A ruthless aura was felt behind him.

A golden rod suddenly shot out, piercing the barrier’s wound.

A gap appeared.

The interior became visible.

Jeok-yo and Seo-mi swiftly leapt inside.

Yi-gang felt a dizzying floating sensation.

They passed through a very high void.

Looking back, the barrier had already perfectly restored itself.

Do-cheon, Wi Se-ryeong, and Heukmu barely followed inside.

Even the Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Fox could not fly.

Yi-gang fell together with them.

「Focus your mind!」

Even without Zhang Sanfeng’s advice, Yi-gang was doing so.

They were at a height where the battlefield was visible at a glance.

He saw those who had died fighting and those still fighting.

「It’s a sea of blood..」

Indeed.

Tens of thousands were already dead.

Their spilled blood was everywhere.

The clear sunlight passed through the barrier, turning murky and red.

Overwhelmed by the brutal scene, Yi-gang did not stop searching.

It was impossible to control over 100,000 people alone.

Therefore, Yi-gang sought the command center.

Where his father, Baek Ryu-san, was.

In the center of the battlefield, where the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance was, a particularly large flag was visible.

Baek Ryu-san was there.

After landing, the path to get there was…

Yi-gang’s expression was grim.

The landing spot was unfavorable.

For ordinary people, the fall would have been fatal, but Yi-gang and his group landed safely.

The problem was that it was right in the enemy’s territory.

Countless demon warriors stared at Yi-gang’s group who had fallen from the sky.

Among them were two enormous foxes.

Ordinary people would have been flustered or even scared.

“Grrr…”

“What… are you?”

But the demon warriors, intoxicated by the smell of blood.

Moreover, their vicious nature erupted under the influence of the Shamanic Gu Formation.

They bared their teeth and growled like wild dogs.

Yi-gang chuckled and muttered.

“They bark like mangy dogs.”

The Demon Cult members did not tolerate that insult.

The demon warriors in black swarmed like ants.

However…

Pah-buk!

Soon they soared into the sky like paper dolls.

In the empty space stood Yi-gang holding the Meteorite Sword, still sheathed.

He soon beat down the demon warriors charging like mad dogs as if wielding a club.

Yi-gang was clearly in the Absolute Realm.

To stop someone in the Absolute Realm, one would need to be at least a Transcendent master.

Of course, on the way to Baek Ryu-san, there were also Extreme Realm demon warriors.

They blocked Yi-gang’s path.

However, Yi-gang was not alone.

The lightning of the Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Foxes struck the demon warriors.

Kwang - Kwaang!

Every time Ha-jun stepped with the Heavenly Demon’s Reigning Step, demon warriors fell.

The Empty Realm.

Yi-gang cleared a path without killing the demons.

‘The direction…’

The problem was that it was hard to find the right direction amid the chaos.

Moreover, the energy inside the barrier filled the space.

Even the sensitive senses of warriors did not function.

Then, the sky showed Yi-gang the way.

It was not the powerful lightning emitted by Jeok-yo or Seo-mi.

Zzjeong!

Far away, a much thinner and gentler lightning bolt struck.

“Cheongho, it’s Cheongho!”

Jeok-yo was the first to recognize the youngest brother’s lightning.

Yi-gang smiled slightly and shouted.

“That way!”

They broke through the barrier of humanity and advanced.

And into the center of the Crouching Dragon Basin.

The biggest difference between an army’s war and martial artists’ war is whether the commander fights directly.

No matter how famous, generals don’t wield swords on the front lines.

But martial artists did.

The highest-ranking ones are the strongest.

The two palace masters leading the Demon Cult were in the Unrestrained Demon Realm.

Baek Ryu-san, the head of the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance, and those beside him were in the Absolute Realm.

They clashed in the center of the battlefield.

Baek Ryu-san, the Unorthodox Union Leader Seo Mun-jae, and the Nine Spear King So Jin-heung.

And on the Demon Cult side, True Demon Palace Master Yo Dae-soon, Four Heaven Palace Master, and two deputy palace masters.

Their clash was truly earth-shattering.

Humans stand on the ground.

Therefore, fights between martial artists usually occur on a flat plane.

But these were different.

They leapt as if flying through the air, attacking from above and below.

When they stomped, the ground flipped.

When they jumped, they easily surpassed nine meters.

When they swung swords, the strikes flew like arrows, Baek Ryu-san often unleashed invisible sword strikes.

What about Yo Dae-soon’s level, who had maximized the Great Blood Demonic Art?

He used blood as material for his techniques.

And in this battlefield, the materials for the Great Blood Demonic Art were endless.

Hundreds of blood droplets flew, enveloping Yo Dae-soon’s body like armor.

Even the nine spears of So Jinheung could not pierce it.

Though there was a numerical difference, the fight between the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance and Demon Cult leaders was evenly matched.

Dam Hyun, who tried to stop them, was helpless.

“This is annoying.”

He thought that finding Baek Ryu-san would calm the people.

He thought he could stop this dog-like madness and make them come to their senses.

But reality was different.

Dam Hyun could not intervene in the fight of Absolute masters.

No matter how versatile he was, there were limits.

In the overwhelming clash of power, he, barely a peak master, would be torn apart instantly.

“Cheongho…”

In front of Dam Hyun was Cheongho.

He was occasionally summoning lightning, signaling Yi-gang.

While Dam Hyun suppressed his anxiety over Yi-gang’s delay.

Something was approaching.

Foxes, they were the Heavenly Thunder White-Tailed Foxes.

Yi-gang was also running, leaping over demon warriors.

Yi-gang leapt once there, jumping over warriors thrusting spears.

“Senior brother!”

“Hey, you bastard, why are you so late!”

Dam Hyun lost his temper.

But there was no time to get angrier. He pointed to Baek Ryu-san and the Absolute masters and said.

“Tell your father and those guys to stop fighting.”

After that, Dam Hyun didn’t know what to do.

But Yi-gang nodded without hesitation.

“I’ll have to be rude to my father.”

The warriors exchanged blows too fast to see clearly.

Was he thinking of jumping into that place where shockwaves burst fiercely?

But Yi-gang drew his sword and did not move.

Dam Hyun was baffled.

“What are you doing now…”

Ha-jun raised a finger, signaling to be quiet.

Dam Hyun’s eyes widened; he had just noticed Ha-jun.

“You’re not dead?”

“Quiet!”

Ha-jun was annoyed.

It hasn’t been long since Yi-gang had acquired his Supreme Ultimate Technique.

Dam Hyun closed his mouth so Yi-gang could focus.

He wondered how Yi-gang would use his Supreme Ultimate Technique, which required preparation.

‘What exactly has he completed?’

At the same time, he felt hopeful.

Then, Yi-gang’s hair began to stand on end.

Even in this situation, Dam Hyun touched his chin curiously…

Crack!

He was startled by the static electricity sparking from his fingertips.

Only then did he see.

‘…What!’

The hair of everyone around, including Dam Hyun, bristled.

It was as if… the phenomena that occurs just before lightning strikes.